| DotMBlurb=Host of the [[London 2012|2012 Summer Olympics]], '''[[London]]''' is the largest city in Western Europe and one of the great "world cities". With a history that dates to before Roman times, London offers royal history in the form of Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London, cultural activities such as the British Museum and the West End theatres, and a variety of events to celebrate the 2012 Olympic Games. <small>([[London|more...]])</small>

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| DotMBlurb=The greater '''[[Mexico City]]''' metropolitan area is one of the world's largest, with an estimated 20 million people living in the region. It is a vibrant city, especially during November when people celebrate El dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Parades and special feasts take place in many cities and villages throughout Mexico, however in Mexico City you can see the most colorful and spectacular ones. Mexico City offers a full variety of cultural activities and sunny weather which makes it one of the best places to visit during this month. <small>([[Mexico City|more...]])</small>

| OTBPBlurb= '''[[Canyonlands National Park]]''' is home to some of the most scenic and remote landscapes in the United States. Located within a massive canyon system at the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers, the park offers incredible opportunities for hiking, backpacking, biking, photographing, camping, and exploring canyons, arches, and rock formations found nowhere else. <small>([[Canyonlands National Park|more...]])</small>

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| OTBPBlurb= '''[[Albuquerque]]''' is a vibrant, sprawling desert metropolis near the center of New Mexico. It is the largest city in the state and is the hub of commerce and transportation. The fall weather, with its dry, comfortable temperatures, is perfect to enjoy the pleasant scenery, colorful history, and the spectacular hot-air balloon fiesta, which will take place from October, 6th to October, 14th, 2012. <small>([[Albuquerque|more...]])</small>

{{newsitem|Islamist Rebels Destroy Historic Shrines of Timbuktu&mdash;a UNESCO World Heritage Site|1 July 2012|Members of the rebel group Ansar Dine called for the destruction of all of the historic shrines of [[Timbuktu]] and began carrying out the destruction of several over the past few days. The group has implemented sharia law in areas it controls, including mandatory veils for women, the stoning of adulterers, & mutilation of thieves. The Islamist rebels have now called for the destruction of ''all'' shrines in the city, considering them to be a form of idolatry forbidden in their view of Islam (although revered by local Sufis). One shrine was destroyed in May and this past weekend armed men, including many foreigners, surrounded six shrines and began to destroy them using shovels, axes, and smashing objects inside. Thirteen other shrines, dating from as early as the 13th century, are among those composing the World Heritage Site. Mali's government has called the actions a 'war crime' and there has been plenty of outcry from UNESCO members as well. An Ansar Dine spokesperson replied "We are subject to religion and not to international opinion." The group, along with secular Tuareg rebels, captured much of northern Mali in March, and after a short joint rule, the former gained control of the region, forcing over 300, 000 residents to flee, including most of Timbuktu's population. There is also concern for 700, 000 ancient manuscripts kept in the city .[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18665522 BBC article] [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/119 UNESCO WHS listing]}}

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{{newsitem|Perfect Storm on the East Coast|26 October 2012| Forecasters are now warning about a "perfect storm"- a direct hit of Hurricane Sandy, an arctic front and a jet stream- that will crash through the East Coast, specifically [[New York City]] and northward. The height of the storm is expected to occur Tuesday but forecasters say that it could take its time, lingering in the atmosphere over the same locations for five or six days. Hurricane Sandy crashed through the [[Caribbean]] today, exploding in size and strength as it hit the [[Bahamas]] after pounding [[Jamaica]][http://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricane-sandy-heads-north-east-coast-readies-perfect].}}

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{{newsitem|Earthquake off Indonesia triggers tsunami alert|11 April 2012|An undersea earthquake with a magnitude of 8.7, which was felt as far away as [[India]], has struck near [[Aceh]] Province of [[Indonesia]]. A regional tsunami alert has been issued. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17675399]}}

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{{newsitem|Ceasefire in Syria|26 October 2012| For the past couple of months everybody was observing the fierce fighting happening in [[Syria]]. Activists say more than 35,000 people have been killed since then, while the UN estimates that at least 20,000 have died [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20087416]. However, on October 25th 2012 Syria’s government and rebel leaders have agreed a four-day ceasefire to begin on Friday October 26th 2012 for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20087416]. There are many doubts if the agreement holds since previous attempts at ceasefires in [[Syria]] had collapsed, and the violence had continued to escalate. Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, welcomed the announcement, but his spokesman said the "world is now watching" to see if the guns fall silent on Friday[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9634345/Syria-Bashar-al-Assad-agrees-to-ceasefire-but-rebels-advance-in-Aleppo.html]}}

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{{newsitem|Kairakuen Reopens for the First Time After Quake|7 February 2012|The earthquake that struck Japan last March, nearly a year ago, caused damage to Kairakuen Garden in [[Mito]], one of the official [[Japan's Top 3|top three gardens]] of Japan which forced them to close the garden in order to repair and restore the damaged sections. Now, restoration work has finally finished and the garden is open just in time for its famous plum blossom festival.}}

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{{newsitem|Islamist Rebels Destroy Historic Shrines of Timbuktu&mdash;a UNESCO World Heritage Site|1 July, 2012|Members of the rebel group Ansar Dine called for the destruction of all of the historic shrines of [[Timbuktu]] and began carrying out the destruction of several over the past few days. The group has implemented sharia law in areas it controls, including mandatory veils for women, the stoning of adulterers, & mutilation of thieves. The Islamist rebels have now called for the destruction of ''all'' shrines in the city, considering them to be a form of idolatry forbidden in their view of Islam (although revered by local Sufis). One shrine was destroyed in May and this past weekend armed men, including many foreigners, surrounded six shrines and began to destroy them using shovels, axes, and smashing objects inside. Thirteen other shrines, dating from as early as the 13th century, are among those composing the World Heritage Site. Mali's government has called the actions a 'war crime' and there has been plenty of outcry from UNESCO members as well. An Ansar Dine spokesperson replied "We are subject to religion and not to international opinion." The group, along with secular Tuareg rebels, captured much of northern Mali in March, and after a short joint rule, the former gained control of the region, forcing over 300, 000 residents to flee, including most of Timbuktu's population. There is also concern for 700, 000 ancient manuscripts kept in the city .[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18665522 BBC article] [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/119 UNESCO WHS listing]}}

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{{Newsitem|Floods in Southeastern Australia|3 February 2012|Residents of the [[Australia]]n states of [[New South Wales]] and [[Queensland]] are battling floods that have trapped over 17000 residents after heavy rains. 16 towns in NSW have been declared disaster zones, and the rains are expected to continue. [http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/residents-trapped-as-floodwaters-isolate-towns-20120203-1qxk6.html] [http://media.smh.com.au/news/environment-news/moree-and-taree-worst-hit-by-floods-2934288.html]}}

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{{Newsitem|Deep Freeze in Eastern Europe|3 February 2012|[[Eastern Europe]] has been experiencing extremely cold winter weather during the last days. Over hundred, chiefly homeless persons, have died in [[Ukraine]] when the temperature has dropped to -35°C (-31°F). The cold weather together with heavy snowfall is affecting major parts of Eastern Europe all the way down to [[Bulgaria]]. Temperatures are also low in other parts of Europe - for instance in [[UK]] the temperature has fallen to -11°C (12F), [[Italy]] has experienced the coldest week in 27 years and in [[Finland]] heavy snowfall has messed up all modes of traffic in the [[Helsinki|capital region]]. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16868194] [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-16860872] [http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Massive+delays+in+Helsinki+public+transport+as+accidents+caused+by+snow+and+ice+compound+the+chilly+conditions+/1135270321801]}}

{{newsitem|Solomon Islands Host Quadrennial Festival of Pacific Arts|1 July 2012|The [[Solomon Islands]] will host the largest cultural festival in the South Pacific, the quadrennial Festival of Pacific Arts, which runs from July 1-14. The festival, held every 4 years since 1972, brings together artisans from 27 Pacific nations and territories to showcase crafts, music, dance, literature, and more. The theme for this festival is "Culture in Harmony With Nature". Delegates are selected by their home country/territory and attend the festival to showcase their home rather than compete&mdash;a rare cultural exchange between somewhat simmilar cultures that are separated by long distances and few transport options. Events will be held in purpose built a purpose-built village near [[Honiara]], with some festivities held in other locations. The Solomon Islands claim this to be their biggest tourism event ever and are improving tourist facilities and cleaning up the image of Honiara. National airline Solomons Airlines is adding extra flights between Honiara-Brisbane, Australia around the festival. The next FoPA won't be held until 2016 in Guam. [http://www.festivalofpacificarts.com/index.html]}}

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{{newsitem|Diwali- Festival of Lights|November 13, 2012|Diwali represents the start of the Hindu New Year and is celebrated as the victory of light over darkness. Lots of small clay lamps and candles are lit and placed in houses, and fireworks are let off everywhere, giving Diwali its name of "Festival of Lights". The festival is also celebrated in many cities in United States [http://goindia.about.com/od/festivalsevents/tp/india-in-november.htm].}}

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{{newsitem|California Adventure expands|15 June 2012|Disney California Adventure, the little-sister second gate at [[Disneyland]] in Anaheim, California, today unveils the largest expansion in its eleven-year history. The entrance area has been re-themed to resemble 1920s-era Los Angeles, the time when a young Walt Disney arrived to begin his storied career. In the back of the park, a new land called Cars Land recreates the [[Route 66]] town of Radiator Springs from the ''Cars'' films, with three much-anticipated new rides and truly monumental theming.}}

{{newsitem|Ice hockey world championship kicks off in Finland and Sweden|4 May 2012|For the first time the annual world championship in ice hockey will be held in two countries - Finland and Sweden. Half of the matches are to be played in [[Stockholm]] and the other half in [[Helsinki]] where also the final match takes place on the 20th of May.[http://www.iihf.com/channels-12/iihf-world-championship-wc12/home/welcome.html] }}

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{{newsitem|Charles Dickens's 200th Birthday Celebration|November 4, 2012|[[Portsmouth]], a bustling seaport city in England, is celebrating the 200th birthday of its native son Charles Dickens. Dickens 2012 events include the special City Museum exhibition "A Tale of One City" (through November 4) depicting life in Portsmouth circa 1812-1870, and free guided walking tours departing from the entrance to the Historic Dockyard[http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/best-trips-fall-2012].}}

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{{newsitem|Japan Introduces New and Cheaper Airlines|1 March 2012|In order to remain competitive in the airline industry and to encourage travel in [[Japan]], a few new airlines have begun operation in Japan with bases in different parts and even some international flights. The new airlines are Air Asia ([[Tokyo]]-based), Jet Star Japan (Tokyo), Peach Aviation ([[Osaka]]), SkyMark (Tokyo and [[Kobe]], and Air Do (Tokyo and [[Sapporo]]. The list of available flights is currently small but over the next few months new flights are being added, and some will even offer flights to [[Seoul]], [[Taipei]], [[Hong Kong]] and [[Busan]].[http://www.japan-guide.com/news/0020.html]}}

{{newsitem|ANA Flies First Boeing 787 Dreamliner|1 Nov 2011|ANA is the first airline to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. It's first flight took place this morning, traveling from [[Tokyo]] (Haneda) to [[Okayama]]. Another flight from Tokyo (Haneda) to [[Hiroshima]] took place later in the day. The Haneda-Okayama and Haneda-Hiroshima flights will be its first regular flights however, ANA hopes to eventually also use the planes for international flights. [http://www.frequentbusinesstraveler.com/2011/12/ana-boeing-787-dreamliner-tokyo-haneda-to-okayama-my-first-flight-review/]}}

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{{newsitem|White Truffle Fair in Italy|October 6- November 18, 2012|Northwest [[Italy]]'s Piedmont region celebrates the [[Alba]] International White Truffle Fair, staged every weekend from early October through mid-November. Alba truffle, the world's most prized and pungent tubers are named for [[Alba]], a medieval town located about an hour's train ride southeast of [[Turin]].[http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/best-trips-fall-2012]}}

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Revision as of 17:49, 1 November 2012

Wikitravel is a project to create a free, complete, up-to-date, and reliable worldwide travel guide. So far we have 27,696 destination guides and other articles written and edited by Wikitravellers from around the globe. Check out the Help page to see how you can edit any page right now, or the Project page for more information about Wikitravel and getting involved.

The greater Mexico City metropolitan area is one of the world's largest, with an estimated 20 million people living in the region. It is a vibrant city, especially during November when people celebrate El dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Parades and special feasts take place in many cities and villages throughout Mexico, however in Mexico City you can see the most colorful and spectacular ones. Mexico City offers a full variety of cultural activities and sunny weather which makes it one of the best places to visit during this month. (more...)

Albuquerque is a vibrant, sprawling desert metropolis near the center of New Mexico. It is the largest city in the state and is the hub of commerce and transportation. The fall weather, with its dry, comfortable temperatures, is perfect to enjoy the pleasant scenery, colorful history, and the spectacular hot-air balloon fiesta, which will take place from October, 6th to October, 14th, 2012. (more...)